November 17, 2014 - Auction Central News

Tibetan, Chinese masterpieces in Gianguan auction Dec. 7

Ming Dynasty painter Dong Qichang created ‘Poetic Landscape,’ ink and color on paper, in 1621. It has nine emperors’ seals, 10 collectors’ seals, a frontispiece by Dong Gao, and colophons by Huang Li and Li Enqing. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. Gianguan Auctions image

NEW YORK – Following the success of their inaugural auction in Singapore that saw more than 20 Buddhist items of worship go under the hammer along with Chinese paintings and works of art, Gianguan Auctions New York presents an equally impressive sale on Dec. 7. The upcoming auction resonates with historic Tibetan and Chinese items of devotion, scroll paintings by traditional and modern masters, Yuan, Qing and Ming porcelains and rare archaic vessels. The two-session auction begins at 10 a.m. at Gianguan Auctions, 295 Madison Ave. LiveAuctionereers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

Highlighting the sale are two magnificent gleaming Tibetan gilt bronze friezes created in the 13th-14th century to honor the god Avalokiteshvara. That they survived the destruction of tumultuous times is nothing short of amazing. Lot 260, featured on the catalog cover, depicts Avalokiteshvara in dhyanasana seated on a tiered base of mountains and waves. Lot 261 portrays Avalokiteshvara seated in dharmachakra mudra bearing a vase. Both are intricately and heavily cast. The figures and symbolic foliage in their environments are superbly molded. Coral and turquoise embellishments on each enrich their appeal. Each frieze measures about 22 inches high by 17 inches wide. They retain their original rings. Each has a presale estimate of $30,000-$50,000.

These are supported by a collection of carvings of Buddhist deities of which the top lot is a Northern Wei jade portrayal of Sakyamuni Maitreya. He is seen in abaya mudra, right hand in varda mudra, with robes falling loosely. At 17 inches tall, Lot 185 is valued at $30,000 – $50,000.

Further personal reflections of thought and faith include Lot 147, a rare Shoushan stone seal carved as an elephant standing foursquare. Atop are two Buddhist arhats holding a covered box. The seal is an excellent value at $4,000 – $8,000. Grouped at Lots 161 – 165, other Shoushan stone statuettes represent Jambhala, a Lohan taming a lion, the Guanyin, and a Taoist sage. They range in value from $4,000 – $6,000.

An ink-and-color on paper scroll painting by Gu Jianlong is yet another expression of Buddhism. Entitled Venerable Buddha, it captures the Buddha and a traveler, each with a halo, in a swirl of color. As the journeyer restrains a tiger, a cherubic figure looks on. The Qing Dynasty painting is Lot 17. It bears two artist seals and is valued at $15,000 – $20,000.

Completing the collection of devotional items is an unusual aloeswood sculpture of the Liuhai parade of toad bringing forth coin. Pungent and treasured, aloeswood is rarely found in pieces large enough to carve. Lot 160, 2 1/2 inches tall, is valued at $3,000 – $4,000.

Defying the vagaries of centuries, a small collection of archaic rarities makes an appearance at Lot 264 with a Western Zhou three-lobed bronze Ding (food vessel) on cabriole supports. Decorated with dragon and boss pattern, the body is completed by three dragon head handles with a headpiece and hook. The mottled patina with malachite encrustation is appropriate for its age. It stands 14 1/2 inches tall and carries a value of $200,000 – $300,000. The sale also includes several shang gongs (wine vessels), including Lot 259, a highly creative interpretation of a bovine figure with tongue sticking out the back. It is expected to bring $60,000 – $80,000.

Outstanding porcelains include a pair of Ming copper-red dragon bowls incised with dragons chasing pearl among clouds. Of the period, each bears the Chengua six-character mark within double squares. Lot 252 is valued at $30,000 – $50,000. A rare blue-green incised dragon plate is a masterwork of hued glazing during the Ming era. It is Lot 238, $60,000-$80,000.

The Yuan dynasty delivers a massive 20-inch-tall blue and white rouleau (rolled) vase that also defines the glazer’s art. Tones of underglaze blue give life to the figures in a landscape on the body. Phoenix handles complete the design. Lot 247 goes under the hammer at $30,000 – $50,000.

Of the Qing Dynasty, a Doucai lantern vase features a landscape populated by foreigners bringing offerings by boat, on horseback and on foot. Lot 235, it is valued at $25,000 – $40,000. Meanwhile, a fine blue and white peony vase sets two lions in white against a cobalt ground. Lot 226, of the period, is $50,000 – $80,000.

Exquisite stone carvings make up a large part of the auction. Highlights include a fine Hetian carving of Lingzhi with dragon and peacock that forms a complicated, nearly abstract presentation. The translucent stone of even white tone is perfect medium for the lingzhi, a fungus believed to promote longevity. More than a foot long, Lot 195 goes off at $40,000 – $50,000.

Session one, Paintings, is a festival of masterful works by noted artists of the Qing and Ming courts as well as such modern favorites as Li Keran, Qi Baishi, Fu Baoshi and Zhang Daqain.

Ming-era landscapes lead with Dong Qichan’s Poetic Landscape. Dated 1621, the hand scroll is inscribed Xuanzai, with two artist seals, nine emperor’s seals and ten collectors’ seals. It has a frontispiece by Dong Gao, colophons by Huang Yi and Li Enqing. Lot 24 carries a presale estimate of $150,000 – $200,000.

Xu Wei’s Pine, Bamboo and Plum Blossoms, an ink-on-silk, also Ming, with frontispiece by Zhang Wentao, colophons by Xu Weiren and Wu Yuanhui, is valued at $200,000 – $250,000.

More accessible are works of calligraphy and contemporary ink. Among the highlights is Lot 21, Fu Baoshi’s distinctive cursive calligraphy. Dated 1960, bearing two artists seals, the ink on paper scroll will command between $3,000 – $4,000. Modern ink will be found at Lot 10, Mei Lafang’s Calligraphy of a Poem, inked on gold flecked paper. It is $6,000 – $8,000. Lot 15, Hua Shikui’s Calligraphy of a Poem, also executed on gold flecked paper is an excellent buy at $800 – $1,500.

An exuberant abstraction by Wu Guanzhong at Lot 16, Orioles Amidst Willow, dated 1997, is a tour de force of the ink splash technique, peppered with bold color set in the form of a traditional scroll. At $30,000 – $40,000 it could be the cornerstone of a vibrant collection.

A collection of figurative works by the self-taught Qi Baishi include the 1928 ink and color on paper Snow Travelers. A pictorial essay of two people trudging through the elements set against mountainous outcroppings, its value is $200,000 – $300,000. Lot 46, Brewing Tea, by the same artist, is a warmer depiction of a bearded elder fanning cooking flames with a palm leaf. Ink and color, again inscribed Qi Huang, it has two artist seals that add to its value of $60,000 – $80,000.

Works by the perennially popular Li Keran, whose early childhood experiences as a water buffalo shepherd informed his art, are peppered throughout the session. Lot 11, Autumn Leaves in Color, is classic in its portrayal of a laughing boy atop a running water buffalo. It is expected to fetch $40,000 – $50,000.

The sale also contains excellent holiday gift items, such as a large collection of amber and jade jewelry slated for the opening hour of session two,

For additional information on any auction item, call the gallery at 212-867-7288.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Designed in the 13th/14th century as a decoration for a large stupa, this Tibetan frieze of Avalokiteshvara in Dhyanasana is backed by a manorial and flanked by symbolic foliage, 22 7/8in. x 17in. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000. Gianguan Auctions image

This Tibetan gilt bronze frieze with Avalokiteshvara in Dharmachakra Mudra is a 13th/14th century icon that has survived tumultuous times, 22in. x 17in. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000. Gianguan Auctions image

This archaic bovine form gong (wine vessel) with bulging eyes, horns and tongue emanating from the rear is of the Late Shang Dynasty and similar to one in the Shanghai Museum. Estimate: $60,000-$80,000. Gianguan Auctions image

A Hetian jade carving of lingzhi with Dragon and Peach is composed of symbols of longevity. The translucent stone is of an even white tone, 15 1/2 inches long. Estimate: $40,000-$50,000. Gianguan Auctions image

Wu Guanzhong, 'Orioles Amidst Willow,' hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, dated 1997, signed Wu Guanzhong, with one artist seal, 26 3/4 x 25 1/8 in. Estimate: $30,000-$40,000. Gianguan Auctions image. — Wu Guanzhong, ‘Orioles Amidst Willow,’ hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, dated 1997, signed Wu Guanzhong, with one artist seal, 26 3/4 x 25 1/8 in. Estimate: $30,000-$40,000. Gianguan Auctions image.

Never a fan of heights, Paris rejects Triangle skyscraper

The present Paris skyline with the Tour Montparnasse, as seen from the Arc de Triomphe. Image by Ввласенко. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.

PARIS (AFP) – Wary of a public that has never really forgiven them for blighting their view with a skyscraper 40 years ago, Paris authorities narrowly rejected plans for a 43-story triangular-shaped building on Monday.

The 180-meter (590-foot) Tour Triangle was supposed to go up in the southwestern corner of the city by 2017, but local lawmakers blocked the proposal by an 83-78 vote in heated scenes at City Hall.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she would launch a legal appeal against the vote, accusing councilors of displaying their voting cards in what was supposed to be a secret ballot.

“The law has not been respected,” she said.

Her deputy in charge of urban architecture, Jean-Louis Missika, said either the votes that were displayed publicly would be declared void, or the entire vote would have to be redone.

The Triangle tower project was supposed to create 5,000 jobs with construction costs put at 535 million euros ($670 million) in 2011.

But many lawmakers will have been thinking of the scorn that is still directed toward the Tour Montparnasse – a brown carbuncle opened in 1973 that remains the only skyscraper in the city center and has made it all but impossible for developers to win approval for future high-rises.

Paris imposed a height limit of 37 meters in the wake of the uproar over the 210-meter tower in Montparnasse – which was accused of ruining both the view and a once-beloved artist district.

City developers later struck a compromise with critics by quarantining high-rise buildings in the La Defense business sector just outside the center.

But the rules changed in 2010 when the city decided to allow apartment blocks up to 50 meters and offices up to 180 meters in areas near the ring road.

In July 2013, it gave initial approval to the Tour Triangle in the Parc des Expositions. Environmentalists and aesthetes were immediately up in arms.

They had formidable support, including from Norman Foster, the celebrated British architect behind several skyscrapers including London’s “Gherkin.”

“I don’t see what Paris needs with a skyscraper,” he said at the time.

The UN’s cultural body UNESCO also waded in, warning that new towers would threaten the landscape of “one of the few remaining horizontal cities.”

The prestigious Swiss team behind the project, Herzog and De Meuron, rejected the criticism, saying the Triangle was “beautiful.”

Mayor Hidalgo backed the scheme despite polls showing a majority of Parisians opposed it.

Her deputy, Missika, called it one of the “future centers of Greater Paris” and a dynamic symbol of its ability to revitalize itself.

“It’s not a tower, it’s a pyramidal monument,” he said.

But Michel Carmona, an expert in the Haussmann style in which Paris was designed in the 1800s, said that such sudden breaks with the past were “a

taboo” for Parisians.

“The unity of the Paris landscape is the envy of the world. It’s a test of talent for an architect to work within the Parisian template without breaking it,” he told AFP. “Will the Tour Triangle attract foreigners? Not a chance.”

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Material Culture prepares full-course auction for Nov 23

Antique Ersari Guli Gul rug, 7 feet 7 inches x 9 feet 8 inches (231 x 295 cm). Estimate: $5,000-$7,000. Material Culture image.

PHILA., Pa. – Material Culture’s Nov. 23 auction brings together an enticing variety of art and artifacts. This classic estates sale boasts more than 850 lots of fresh-to-the market items from local Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York and New England estates. In addition to the fine, folk and ethnographic arts, carpets and antiques mentioned in the title, the sale includes jewelry, silver, antique firearms, furnishings and toys, providing something of interest for every collector. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

One of the leading lots in fine art is a lithograph titled Summer (lot 5) by Philip Guston (American, 1913-1980), whose provenance includes ownership by Philadelphia-based artist Paul Cava. Two other leading lots come from Russian artists, an untitled oil on board (lot 22) dating to 1973 by Dmitry Krasnopevtsev (1925-1995), and another oil on board painting (lot 23) by Vasili D. Polenov (1844-1927). Art opens with a piece by Nelson Boren (American, b. 1952), a watercolor on paper titled Look’n for My Horse (lot 2), and a lithograph in colors by Mel Ramos (American, b. 1935) called Ocelot (lot 3), showing the wild cat biting one of Ramos’ classic female nudes. Swedish artist Eric H. Olson (1909-1996), an innovator in optical compostions, is shown at auction in one of his polarized glass sculptures (lot 4) dating to 1967.

Three lots by Waylande Gregory (American, 1905-1971) showcase a small piece in ceramics, the medium that the artist pioneered on a large scale, with an Art Deco fawn (lot 34), as well as two oil on wood paintings, with his surrealist 21st Century Landscape (lot 31) and cubist Man of La Mancha (lot 32). William McKendree Snyder (American, 1848-1930) is also shown in three lots of detailed oil paintings of forests in autumn, (lots 40, 41 and 42), the Indiana landscapes for which he was known. Of particular interest is an early 20th century painting by Seneca Chief Leonard A. Lee, a portrait of Chief Cornplanter (b. 1732), who was the last War Chief of the Seneca in New York (lot 35).

International folk art at the auction includes 12 lots of fine Russian religious icons from the 19th century, depicting the Mother of God with Christ, St. Panteleimon, St. Nicholas, Tikhon, Bishop of Voroneg, and others (lots 152-163). Eleven lots of antique Japanese prints come to auction from an estate in Rhode Island (lots 167-177), including ukiyo-e prints by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) Utagawa Kunisada, Toyokuni III (1786-1865) and Kawanabe Kyosai (1831-1889). The auction also features prints by Sadanobu Hasegawa (lot 166) and Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950), with a framed print called Kagurazaka Dori dating to 1929 (lot 165). Another highlight in traditional Asian art are 17 lots of antique Chinese jade, led by a delicately carved mountain scene in white jade (lot 185) and a pastoral landscape carving, translucent and finely detailed (lot 186), both in excellent condition.

Over 90 lots of carpets and textiles are arguably led by an antique central Anatolian rug dating to the 17th/18th century (lot 243), with an archaic border design and an exceptional palette of yellow and aubergine. Fifteen lots of rare antique Turkmen rugs come to the auction from the collection of Simon Crosby, including a large Ersari guli gul rug, with 18 cloverleaf medallions in a rust-crimson (lot 235). Also notable are two large Persian Serapi rugs from circa 1900 (lot 223 and 224) and a monumental palace-size Turkish Oushak rug dating to the 19th century (lot 226).

The more than 50 lots of jewelry at auction open with a gold and jade bead necklace, with nine round green jade beads and a green jade pendant (lot 313) from a New Jersey estate. A wealth of sterling silver jewelry encompasses necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pins and brooches, including pieces from artisan silversmiths such as Georg Jensen, Alphonse LaPaglia, Bent Erikson, Hans Myrhe, Bent Knudsen and Esther Lewittes. Jensen is also represented in the approximately 60 lots of service silver, in a deep silver center bowl with a lobed pattern and scroll feet (lot 402), among other items. The auction includes a range of flatware, service spoons, tea service items, cups, compotes, bowls, plates and more. Notable among the selection of silver serving trays are a Reed & Barton silver try in the Francis I pattern (lot 368), a Woodside silver tray with sprouting floral handles (lot 395), and a large and heavy handmade square Los Castillo silver tray from Mexico, with rounded corners bordering the circular, impressed interior (lot 370).

Furnishings are led by a Louis XV-style dining room set, custom made in Italy in the 1950s (lot 14). A marble-top dining table with two extensions features inset bronze in a ribbon motif. A wide variety of chairs, tables, desks, chests and cabinets include a pair of LGJ Stickley chairs (lot 512) and several distinctive items, such as an Empire-style Cuban mahogany chiffonier (lot 447), an antique Leonard’s Polar King oak ice box (lot 444) and a vintage Paidar barber chair (lot 465). Decorative arts include a bronze Art Nouveau tray by Raoul Larche (French, 1860-1912) in the shape of a lily pad, with a naiad-like young woman holding the central lily (lot 15).

Antique and collectible firearms includes a Civil War Robbins and Lawrence Mississippi rifle, Model 1841 (lot 6). The walnut stock rifle, dated 1850 on the tang, was altered to .58 caliber, the 33-inch barrel secured by two bands, with brass mounts and the original brass-tipped ramrod present. Another highlight is a replica 1918A3 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) by Ohio Ordnance Works (lot 584); the M1918 was developed in 1917 but used most commonly in WWII and the Korean War.

The auction presents several unique pieces of antique Americana. An early American powder horn, dated 1804, is inscribed with the name “John Rude,” along with incisions of folk art hex signs, a dagger, and a bird (lot 7). A velvet Jonathan coat for a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows bears an Andrew Jackson Peace Medallion on the presentation collar, dated to 1829, along with the stitched gold thread, fabric and applied glass jewels (lot 8). From the late 18th or early 19th century, a fascinating wooden maidenhead carving of a woman in a cauldron most likely depicts a witch, though the young woman’s hands appear to be clasped in prayer (lot 11).

Ethnographic and tribal art encompasses over 50 lots of masks, from Mexico, Tibet, Indonesia, Oceania, and many different African tribes. Exemplary lots include a fine ceremonial mask of carved wood, raffia, fiber and pigment, made by the Yaka people of southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola (lot 747), dating to the early 20th century, and an ancestral figure post of carved wood and polychrome made by the nearby Pende people (lot 757). Another mask from the early 20th century is a carved and painted wood mask (lot 749) from Papua New Guinea’s Sepik River.

An Allentown, Pennsylvania, estate brings to auction several lots of nude art and naughty collectibles. Nude paintings from this collection may be exemplified in Bob Browne’s (American, b. 1926) oil on canvas Bath Down the Hall (Nude) (lot 709). Many lots include an assortment of small nude figures, from bathing beauties to humorously naughty trinkets, while lot 697 groups two German nude porcelain sculptures, the first by Wallendorfer and the second by Shaubach Kunst. A collection of 14 mid-century pin up album sets, numbered, were created for the purpose of providing pin up airbrush artists with photographic models (lot 713).

The auction opens with a 2000 Volkswagen Beetle in pale green (lot 1). A selection of antique and vintage toys are on offer, opening with an antique tabletop coin-operated penny baseball game (lot 615). Other lots in this category include a unique art tin windup kid riding a tricycle (lot 617), an antique wheel of fortune (lot 618) and a toy Spark Plug from the comic strip Barney Google and Snuffy Smith (lot 616), made by Schoenhut. Additionally, two lots of vintage Coca-Cola serving trays, with two trays apiece, are included in the sale (lots 655 and 656). Fourteen lots of antique stereographic items contain both stereoscopes (lots 677, 681) and large groupings of stereographic viewing cards, with up to 800 cards on a variety of subjects in a single lot (lot 678).

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Philip Guston (American, 1913-1980) 'Summer,' 1980, lithograph on paper, from an edition of 50, 20in. x 30.5in., 51 x 77 cm (sheet); 23.5in. x 34in., 60 x 86 cm (frame). Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Material Culture image. — Philip Guston (American, 1913-1980) ‘Summer,’ 1980, lithograph on paper, from an edition of 50, 20in. x 30.5in., 51 x 77 cm (sheet); 23.5in. x 34in., 60 x 86 cm (frame). Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Material Culture image.

Civil War Mississippi rifle, Model 1841, Robbins & Lawrence, altered to .58 caliber. Estimate: $1,500-$2,500. Material Culture image.

Raoul Larche Art Nouveau bronze, 4in. x 13.5 in. x 12in., incised signature 'Raoul Larche. Estimate: $500-$700. Material Culture image. — Raoul Larche Art Nouveau bronze, 4in. x 13.5 in. x 12in., incised signature ‘Raoul Larche. Estimate: $500-$700. Material Culture image.

Antique tabletop coin-operated penny baseball game. Estimate: $200-$400. Material Culture image.

Kovels Antiques & Collecting: Week of Nov. 17, 2014

Look at the bottom of a vase to identify it. This vase has marks indicating it is a piece of Rookwood pottery made in 1883 by a talented decorator. It auctioned for $5,290 at Humler & Nolan of Cincinnati. Unmarked it would have sold for much less.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Rookwood pottery, made in Cincinnati since 1880, is perhaps the most popular American art pottery among collectors. The company not only made artist-decorated vases, molded bookends, art-deco figurines and commercial wares, but it also used marks that tell a collector exactly what it is. Until 1886 the mark was the year in numerals and the name Rookwood. In 1886 a new mark was chosen – a backward capital letter “R” leaning against a capital letter “P.” A flame was added to a circle around the top of the mark each year until 1900. After that, a Roman numeral for the last two digits of the year was put under the mark. So 1904 was a flame mark with IV at the bottom. The company went out of business in 1967, but was later bought and sold several times.

In 2011 the business was bought by Martin and Marilyn Wade, Cincinnati real estate developers. Today Rookwood uses a new mark – the flame mark with the year in Roman numerals. So 2014 would be marked MMXIV. Other letter marks represent the color and type of clay, numbers 1 to 7301 tell the shape, and initials tell the name of the artist. All of these codes can be found in books or websites about Rookwood. It helps to know this history, but a collector should judge a piece of Rookwood by the quality of the glaze and the skill of the decorator, and then add extra value for condition, size, age, the fame of the decorator, and how much you like the piece.

Humler & Nolan, an auction gallery in Cincinnati, sold a 14-inch-high vase with early Limoges-style decoration that was probably made by the founder of the pottery, Maria Longworth Nichols. It’s marked “Rookwood 1883.” Although it was chipped and restored, the quality of the decoration, large size and artist attribution attracted a bid of $5,290.

Q: My old porcelain figurine is a bathing beauty posed on her tummy under a turtle’s shell. The woman’s backside is exposed. My aunt gave me the figure years ago and I think she owned it since the 1920s. What can you tell me about it?

A: Your bathing beauty figurine, sometimes called a “naughty novelty,” is a form familiar to collectors. Posed porcelain figures of partially clad women on or under turtle’s shells have been around since the early 1900s. Figures made in Germany before World War I are well made and sell today for $100 to $400. Similar novelties made in Japan before or after World War II sell for less.

Q: I have a Polyphon music box from Germany that plays music from perforated metal discs. There are nine discs with song titles from the 1880s and ’90s. I’m downsizing and would like to sell it. How much is it worth?

A: Disc music boxes were invented in 1870. Polyphon Musikwerke was founded in Leipzig, Germany, before 1890. Most Polyphone disc music boxes were made between 1895 and 1905. The company also made musical clocks and other items with musical mechanisms. Music boxes are measured by the size of the disc, not the height of the cabinet. Polyphon music boxes sell at auctions for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, depending on size, rarity and condition. A Polyphon Excelsion tabletop single-comb music box and nine discs sold for $1,150 earlier this year.

Q: I’m trying to find a current value for an unopened 1974 Lionstone Lonely Luke figural decanter. The figure is an old cowboy sitting on a stump with a bottle in his hand and cup on the stump. The decanter is 10 1/2 inches tall and is still filled with whiskey. All the original labels still are on and very readable. What is it worth?

A: Limited-edition figural liquor decanters were very popular in the 1970s but don’t sell well today. Prices have gone down. Lonely Luke decanters were part of Lionstone’s Old West series of decanters. They held whiskey, port or liqueur. Collectors like the miniature version, 4 3/8 inches tall, issued in 1975. It sells for about $5 today.

Q: I have a breakfast set of four place settings of Franciscan Strawberry Fair dishes. I would like to sell the set.

A: From 1980 to 1982, Franciscan made two strawberry patterns, Strawberry Fair and Strawberry Time, on the same shapes. Strawberry Fair has a cream-colored background and Strawberry Time a green-tinted background. Sets of dishes are hard to sell. You can find them for sale online on eBay and replacements.com. Sources that sell dinnerware usually will buy dinnerware, but you can expect to get about half the price they sell it for.

Q: My parents gave me their antique bedroom set. It includes a nightstand, twin beds, a dresser with a mirror and a chest of drawers. Each piece is stamped “West End Furniture Company, Rockford, Illinois.” I was told the wood is golden oak. Can you give me information on the company?

A: West End Furniture Co. was in business in Rockford from 1890 to 1941. The company made bedroom furniture, bookcases, buffets, desks, folding beds, tables and other furniture and offered lines of “medium” and “fine grade” furniture. Many Swedish furniture makers settled in Rockford, and at one time it was the second largest center of furniture manufacturing in the world.

Tip: When freezing old clothes to kill any insects, check the buttons first. Pewter, painted glass or ceramic buttons may be damaged by the cold.

Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer questions sent to the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The amount of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Erector set, rocket launcher, Gilbert, box, 1959, $35.
Table, cast iron, marble top, cabriole legs, Britannia busts, shield, shelf, 30 x 28 inches, $95.
Delft tankard, hinged lid, loop handle, pewter thumb-rest, blue, yellow, red, green, signed, c. 1800, 9 inches, $230.
Model boat, Louisiana shrimper, fancy dancer, wood, painted, Angola Prison, 21 x 25 inches, $300.
Sampler, alphabet, numbers, floral urns, baskets, Mary Burton, aged 9, silk, linen, frame, 1827, 20 x 20 inches, $330.
Silver plaque, Mt. Rushmore, signed, 5 x 8 inches, $450.
Folk art diorama, hunter, dog pursuing deer, carved, painted, 10 x 16 inches, $480.
Doorknocker, Egyptian head clapper, iron, pyramid shape, Judd Co., 5 in. $510.
Veterinarian trade sign, horse’s head, flowing mane, brown, c. 1900, 21 inches, $3,600.
Bronze centerpiece, Louis XVI style, divided carnation stems, flower candlesticks, clear vase, c. 1945, 21 inches, $5,000.

Contemporary, modern and mid-century ceramics made since 1950 are among the hottest collectibles today. Our special report, “Kovels’ Buyers’ Guide to Modern Ceramics: Mid-Century to Contemporary” identifies important pottery by American and European makers. Includes more than 65 factories and 70 studio artists, each with a mark and dates. Works by major makers, including Claude Conover, Guido Gambone, Lucie Rie, as well as potteries like Gustavsberg, Metlox and Sascha Brastoff, are shown in color photos. Find the “sleepers” at house sales and flea markets. Special Report, 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, 64 pp. Available only from Kovels for $19.95 plus $4.95 postage and handling. Order by phone at 800-303-1996, online at Kovels.com; or write to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Museum exhibit shines spotlight on NC film history

German A1 size poster, 23 inches by 33 inches, for the David Lynch film 'Blue Velvet.' Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and Premiere Props.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – It’s mere coincidence that an exhibit about North Carolina’s history in film and television that was two years in the making is opening this weekend across the street from the Legislature, where lawmakers decided earlier this year to end an incentives program that brought Hollywood to the Tar Heel state.

But even coincidences can be ironic, and that’s the case here, say advocates of the tax incentives that legislators eliminated in favor of a much smaller grant program.

“The museum is celebrating the success of film in North Carolina and the attention that film has brought to North Carolina,” Johnny Griffin, director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, said of the exhibit opening Saturday at the N.C. Museum of History. “It’s almost as if we’re celebrating something in the past.”

“Starring North Carolina!” has its genesis in an earlier museum exhibit about Gone with the Wind that was so popular it went on tour to regional museums in the state.

Museum staff, excited by the attendance for that exhibit, decided about two years ago to follow up with one about North Carolina’s history. And that history goes back at least to silent movies made in western North Carolina in the 1920s, long before Dino de Laurentiis decided to burn a facsimile of Orton Plantation for Firestarter, based on the book by Stephen King.

The exhibit opens with a zoetrope that belongs to the N.C. School of Science and Math in Durham and ends with a poster from the Melissa McCarthy movie, Tammy. It includes memorabilia from the expected movies and TV shows, such as Iron Man 3 and Dawson’s Creek, along with some not-so-famous works, such as Pitch a Boogie-Woogie, a movie with an all-black cast made in Greenville in 1947.

Loaners include the Smithsonian and film companies, but also a stuntman and a make-up artist. “One of the great things about this exhibit – our own collection was small, and we didn’t have a whole lot of really good things,” said exhibit team leader Camille Hunt. “But everyone was so eager to help out and came forward with all these amazing artifacts.”

From Dirty Dancing, filmed at Lake Lure, there’s the Brooks Brothers sweater that Robbie the waiter was wearing when he and Johnny got into a fight. And there’s most of a foot soldier uniform from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, donated by stuntman Jimmie Lee Sessoms. A separate case holds a bloody ear and stocking-clad broken leg from Blue Velvet, loaned by Jeff Goodwin, a makeup artist who loaned about 70 items.

More famous is the bomber jacket worn by Kevin Costner in Bull Durham and a costume worn by Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games.

“I just think that people who work behind the scenes, they’re excited to have an exhibit that shows some of the work that they do,” said RaeLana Poteat, one of two curators for the exhibit, which covers 8,000 square feet and is the largest the museum has handled without help from an outside firm.

That work will disappear if legislators don’t reinstate the tax credits or increase the pot of money available for grants, Griffin said.

“There’s a difference between celebrating what was a part of North Carolina and what is a part of North Carolina,” he said. “I would hate to think we’re looking at the last chapter of the film industry. I hope we’re pausing in the middle of it to look at where we’ve been but hopefully, look at where we’re going with it as well.”

Aaron Syrett, who quit this year as director of the N.C. Film Commission, said he hoped the exhibit “will shed some light on North Carolina’s industry, which is about to go away.”

He hopes the exhibit will have a positive effect on legislators, who likely will debate whether to increase the grant money or perhaps return to tax incentives.

“We built a great industry for the past seven to eight years while I was there,” Syrett said in a phone interview from Utah. “To see it end like this over political posturing, it’s sad.”

With the exhibit about the industry open until Sept. 6, 2015, across the street from the Legislative Building, lawmakers “can truly learn about it now,” he said.

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Online:

http://ncmuseumofhistory.org/SeeOurExhibits/CurrentExhibits/StarringNC.aspx

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Martha Waggoner can be reached at http://twitter.com/mjwaggonernc

AP-WF-11-15-14 2346GMT

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One World Trade Center fills hole in Manhattan skyline

One World Trade Center viewed from the Hudson River. Image by Joe Mabel. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

NEW YORK (AFP) – The jewel of the New York skyline, the pride of a whole nation, is back.

The opening of One World Trade Center, on the site of the Twin Towers that were destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, signals a long-awaited return to normal in the Big Apple.

Since Nov. 3, with little fanfare, some 500 employees of the media group Conde Nast moved in. They are due to be joined by another 3,000 in early 2015.

There are also support staff on site – brought into sharp relief this week by the spectacular rescue of two window washers suspended from the 69th floor.

The symbolic 1,776-foot (541-meter) tower – including its antenna – is the tallest in the United States and in the Western hemisphere.

Its tapered glass silhouette overlooks the Sept. 11 Memorial, dedicated to the 2,753 victims of the New York attacks, along with six victims of a first attack on the Twin Towers in 1993, and sits next to the museum focused on the drama.

The $3.9 billion, 104-story tower “is the most secure office building any place in the world,” said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J., which owns the site.

The monumental lobby, with soaring ceilings some 47 feet high and white marble throughout, is protected by a special wall that can withstand explosions.

Its concrete foundation is 185 feet tall. A staircase is dedicated to emergency responders, and concrete protects the elevators and stairways. The communications system was designed in collaboration with police, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security as well as private experts, Foye said.

360-degree vistas

From high up in the tower, the 360-degree view offers glimpses of the Statue of Liberty to the south and the Empire State Building and Central Park to the north.

For Big Apple visitors looking to orient themselves within Manhattan, One World Trade Center is a clear landmark at the southern end of the urban island.

For New Yorkers, it’s a long-awaited sign of the determination to rebuild, slowed for years by political negotiations over just what should be done on “Ground Zero,” and then by a hurting economy.

Initially dubbed “Freedom Tower,” before its name was changed in 2009, One World Trade Center finally broke ground in 2006. Construction was completed at the end of 2013.

Some 65 percent of the space has already been rented out, Foye said during a visit to the 61st floor, rejecting the idea that some were afraid to move there because of the site’s history.

Among the new tenants – aside from Conde Nast, which will occupy floors 20 to 44 – are online gamemaker Hi5, publicity group Kids Creative and the China Center, which fosters cultural exchanges between the United States and China.

In all, about 5,000 people will be working in the new tower. And by next spring, the observatory, on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors, will open to the public, with entry fees set at $32.

Return to normal

The opening of the new tower “represents a return to normalcy down here,” Foye said, emphasizing that the people will be working there, eating in the nearby restaurants, using the subway stop that should be ready early next year, and shopping in the hundreds of thousands of square feet of shops that continue to open.

When the Twin Towers still stood, the neighborhood was mainly used as offices, and was nearly deserted by evening. But thanks to new residential construction, the population of lower Manhattan has tripled, from 20,000 to 60,000.

“This is a sign of the revitalization of downtown New York city,” said Foye, of “the city and state and region and nation’s response to 9/11.”

The memorial and museum “will for ever commemorate what happened here,” and the nearly 3,000 people who died, he said.

“We will never forget that, but I think that we want to do now is to look forward, and the site is a site of progress.”

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Napoleon’s bicorne hat auctioned off for $2.2M

Napoleon wears a large bicorne hat in this portrait by Édouard Detaille (French. 1848-1912). Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

PARIS (AFP) – One of Napoleon’s famous two-pointed hats was sold on Sunday to a South Korean collector for nearly 1.9 million euros ($2.2 million) at an auction outside Paris.

The black felted beaver fur “bicorne” hat is one of only 19 examples left of the unusual headwear sported by the French emperor.

It sold for 1,884,000 euros, almost five times its estimated value, at a two-day auction of Napoleon memorabilia by Monaco’s royal family which raked in a total of 10 million euros, including fees, said French auctioneers Osenat, Binoche and Giquello.

The hat was bought by Lee Tae Kyun, the manager of Korean food industry giant Harim.

“I came for my boss, the head of the company. He wanted to buy it because we have a new building and the hat means something there, for the new generation,” said the bidder, requesting anonymity.

“We want to show this hat to make people come … and because the employees of our company are the same (as Napoleon). We are pioneers in Korea.”

During his reign as French emperor – from 1804-1814 and again in 1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte is said to have worn around 120 of the hats.

The bicorne, meaning two horizontal points, was a variation on the tricorne – or three-pointed hat – which was popular in the 17th century and favored by American Colonists around the time of the American revolution.

Made by French hatmakers Poupard, Napoleon wore them sideways – rather than with points at the front and back – so he could be easily spotted on the battlefield.

Only two or three of the remaining hats are in private hands with the rest scattered in museums across the world.

The headpiece went under the hammer at Fontainebleau along with some 1,000

pieces of Napoleon memorabilia that belonged to Prince Louis II of Monaco (1870-1949), the great-grandfather of current monarch Prince Albert.

The hat was acquired by Joseph Giraud, a vet in Napoleon’s household, and remained in his family until 1926 when it was sold to Prince Louis’ collection.

Other items sold include a pair of Napoleon’s stockings, a shirt and a red cotton scarf, which sold for 32,200 euros.

A massive bust of the former emperor sold for 700,000 euros and a painting by French artist Paul Delaroche went for 460,000.

Also under the hammer were trophies seized by Prussian troops at Waterloo, where Napoleon was defeated in battle, leading to the end of his rule as emperor. Among those items were embroidered shoes belonging to his infant son and an ivory watch.

Another notable item was a kitchen knife found on student Friedrich Staps who intended to use it to assassinate Napoleon in Austria in October 1809, a crime for which he was executed by firing squad.

The collection, which also includes letters and documents relating to Napoleon’s reign, military exploits and exile and imprisonment on St. Helena, had been kept at the principality’s Napoleon Museum in Monte Carlo.

The Grimaldi family is selling a number of pieces having decided to pursue new museum projects.

“It’s a very well-known collection, the provenance of the pieces is incontestable,” Thierry Lentz, director of the Napoleon Foundation, told AFP.

Two hundred years after his reign, Napoleon remains a deeply popular historical figure. The main French association in his memory currently has around 4,000 members.

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Archaeologists dig at ancient site near Syrian war zone

Archaeologist C. Leonard Woolley (left) and T.E. Lawrence at the excavations at Karkemish, Syria, circa 1912-1914. Image from 'Dead Towns and Living Men' (London: Milford, 1920). Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AP) – Archaeology and war don’t usually mix, yet that’s been the case for years at Karkemish, an ancient city along the Turkey-Syria border where an excavation team announced its newest finds Saturday just meters from Islamic State-controlled territory.

Karkemish, dating back more than 5,000 years, is close to the Syrian city of Jarablous, which now flies the black banner of the Islamic extremist group.

U.S.-led coalition aircraft flew overhead as Nicolo Marchetti, a professor of archaeology and art history of the Ancient Near East at the University of Bologna. He is the project director at Karkemish, where the Turkish military let archaeologists resume work in 2011 for the first time since its troops occupied the site about 90 years ago.

“Basically we work 20 meters away from the Islamic State-controlled areas,” Marchetti said, standing at the site, which is guarded by more than 500 Turkish soldiers, tanks and artillery. “Still, we have had no problem at all. … We work in a military area. It is very well protected.”

The project, which also includes archaeologists from Gaziantep and Istanbul universities, is doing the most extensive excavations at Karkemish in nearly a century, building on the work of British Museum teams that included T.E. Lawrence, the adventurer known as Lawrence of Arabia.

Marchetti said the plan is to open the site to tourists next spring. A concrete barrier, about four meters high, will be installed at the site.

“This will be a total protection for the tourists,” he said.

The strategic city, its importance long known to scholars because of references in ancient texts, was under the sway of Hittites and other imperial rulers and independent kings.

However, archaeological investigation there was halted by World War I. It was stopped again by hostilities between Turkish nationalists and French colonizers from Syria who built machine gun nests in its defensive walls. Part of the area was mined in the 1950s, and in later years, creating deadly obstacles to excavation. Demining was completed just a few years ago.

Archaeologists are completing their fourth season unearthing the secrets of Karkemish along the Euphrates. The name Karkemish means “Quay of (the god) Kamis,” a deity at the time in northern Syria. Stone monuments decorated with sculptures, hieroglyphics and more than 20 meter-high city walls attest to the influence of the town.

Among this year’s finds were sculptures in the palace of King Katuwa, who ruled the area around 900 B.C. There were five large orthostats in limestone and basalt, a dark gray to black rock, that portray row of individuals bearing gifts of gazelle. An orthostate is an upright stone or slab that forms part of a structure.

The archaeologists also found a mosaic floor in the palace of Sargon II, who reigned around 700 B.C. over Assyria, an ancient empire mostly located in Mesopotamia. And the team finished exploration of the ruins of the expedition house of Lawrence of Arabia, who worked at Karkemish between 1911 and 1914.

The team began its project in 2011 around the time that the Syrian uprising against President Bashar Assad was escalating. About one-third of the 90-hectare (222-acre) archaeological site lies inside Syria and is therefore off-limits; construction and farming in Jarablous have encroached on what was the outer edge of the ancient city. Most discoveries have been made on the Turkish side.

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Riechmann reported from Istanbul.

AP-WF-11-15-14 1712GMT

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